Malaria parasite found hiding out in North American deer

[Confounding]

http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/02/malaria-parasite-found-hiding-out-north-american-deer

North America’s most popular game species, the white-tailed deer, harbors a secret: low levels of a malaria parasite that have only now been detected thanks to advanced DNA technology. Though this particular species of parasite poses little risk to humans, researchers say the find could reshape our understanding of malaria’s origins.

 

[waltky]

A single protein target that appears to be the disease’s weakness...

Scientists Discover Malaria Achilles Heel
September 07, 2016 - Scientists appear to have discovered malaria’s Achilles heel, a weakness common to the multiple stages of malaria infection. In doing so, they have found a compound that cured mice of the disease.

Once it’s entered the body through the bite of an infected mosquito, the malaria parasite, P. falciparum, behaves as a unique organism as it goes through three phases during its life cycle. Experts say most treatments are aimed at only one stage or another. Over time, the parasite can become resistant to therapy, sometimes as quickly as within one year. But researchers at the Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University have identified a single protein target that appears to be the disease’s weakness, according to senior researcher Stuart Schreiber, a founding member of the biomedical institution.

Malaria protein

“We did discover a novel protein that’s made by the parasite, that’s needed for all three phases of its life cycle, and a series of novel compounds that potently inhibit this protein," he said. "And we could show in an infected animal that we could kill the parasite in all three phases.” Schreiber and colleagues published their findings in the journal Nature. After discovering the protein, researchers screened a unique library of 100,000 small molecules, from which they synthesized about a dozen compounds that they tested in infected mice. The molecules appear to stop the production of this protein in all of malaria's life stages, effectively killing the disease. The mice were disease-free for a month, a length of time considered to be a cure. When they tried to infect other mice with the blood of the treated rodents, the animals did not become infected with malaria.

A woman carrying a baby holds a treated mosquito net during a malaria prevention action at Ajah in Eti Osa East district of Lagos, Nigeria​

The compound that scientists tested was a one-time oral treatment. Schreiber was quick to caution that what works in a mouse is not necessarily effective in humans. But he is hopeful. “I am the eternal optimist," he said. "On the other hand, I do know that what’s ahead is extremely challenging and full of unknowns that can only be addressed by marching forward and running the key experiments." The experiments include seeing how well each of the 12 compounds works, for how long, and whether resistance develops with any of the promising agents. In theory, Schreiber said a drug that works in all three stages of malaria could be taken at any point in the disease cycle, as a treatment and even as a way to prevent the disease. The researchers note that individuals can remain infectious even while undergoing treatment. So their infection can be spread to someone else through a mosquito bite. Information about the anti-malaria compounds is being made freely available to other researchers through an online database. The library contains compounds designed and housed at the Broad Institute that are not usually found in the arsenals of pharmaceutical companies.

Malaria infects over 200 million people each year. Once it has infected a human host, the malaria parasite evolves through a number of unique stages, from initial blood infection to liver infiltration where the parasite matures and reenters the blood stream. The parasite then goes on to infect and destroy red blood cells, releasing thousands of daughter parasites that invade other blood cells, continuing the cycle of reproduction and infection. It is during this later blood stage when symptoms of malaria occur, including very high fever, overwhelming sweating, debilitating nausea and diarrhea. Over half a million people do not survive, mostly children in sub-Saharan Africa. The research by Schreiber and colleagues was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. A Japanese drug company, Eisai, has shown an interest in helping to further develop the experimental malaria treatment.

Scientists Discover Malaria Achilles Heel

See also:

Deadly Scrub Typhus Bacteria Found on Island Off Chile
September 07, 2016 — Scrub typhus, a deadly disease common in Southeast Asia and spread by microscopic biting mites known as chiggers, has now taken hold in a part of South America and may have become endemic there, scientists said Wednesday.

The tropical disease, which kills at least 140,000 people a year in the Asia-Pacific region, has been confirmed in a cluster of cases on a large island off Chile, 12,000 kilometers from its usual haunts on the other side of the Pacific. Scrub typhus has been known of for years, and the bacteria that cause it were first identified in Japan in 1930. Chiggers transmit the bacteria, Orientia tsutsugamushi, and they spread through the lymphatic fluid. Those infected find the illness can begin quite suddenly, with shaking chills, fever, severe headache, infection of the mucus membrane in the eyes, and lymph node swelling. Until 2006, scrub typhus was thought to be limited to an area called the "tsutsugamushi triangle," from Pakistan in the west to far eastern Russia in the east to northern Australia in the south.

Wider distribution?

But writing in The New England Journal of Medicine, researchers from Britain's Oxford University and the Pontificia Universidad Católica and Universidad del Desarrollo in Chile said the cases found off Chile's mainland "suggest there may be a much wider global distribution than previously understood." In 2006, two cases of scrub typhus were found outside the triangle. One, in the Middle East, was caused by a previously unrecorded bacteria related to tsutsugamushi and named Orientia Chuto. The second was found on Chiloe island, just off mainland Chile.

A fisherman walks on the shore of the fishing village Quetalmahue in Chile's Chiloe island, May 10, 2016. Scrub typhus has been confirmed in a cluster of cases on the island, far from places it usually strikes.​

In January 2015 and again in early 2016, three more cases were discovered in Ancud, on the northern coast of Chiloe. "Scrub typhus is a common disease but a neglected one," said Paul Newton, director of the Lao-Oxford-Mahosot Hospital Wellcome Trust Research Unit, which collaborated in the study. "Given that it is known to cause approximately a million clinical cases, and kills at least 140,000 people each year, this evidence of an even bigger burden of disease in another part of the world highlights the need for more research and attention to it."

Deadly Scrub Typhus Bacteria Found on Island Off Chile

 

[ThunderKiss1965]

If only we had a proven method of killing malaria carrying insects that kill millions every year, oh that's right we did but hysterical leftist got severe restrictions put on the manufacture of DDT.

The Leftist are responsible for more death and mayhem than any other ideology in history.

 

[mamooth]

Oh look, another brainwashed right wing kook cultist, spouting the crap pseudoscience he heard on Rush or read on Drudge.

Back in the real world, DDT is still legal for malaria control, and always has been.

Back in the real world, malaria was almost eliminated in the USA before DDT was invented.

Back in the real world, DDT was ravaging the environment. It's still ravaging the environment. Those organochlorine chemicals can still be measured in our blood, and they're a prime suspect as a cause of rising autism rates.

Back in the real world, DDT was abandoned by farmers because it had stopped working. It no longer killed the Boll Weevil and other pests.

Back in the real world, mass usage of DDT had become useless for malaria control, because the mosquitoes were becoming resistant to it.

By getting DDT banned for mass usage, mosquitoes stopped developing resistance to it. That means the DDT used on a small scale kept working for malaria control. By getting mass usage of DDT banned, the liberals saved millions of lives. Yep, another liberal success story, same old same old.

The lesson? Conservative cult pseudoscience is not harmless. It's genocidal in its level of stupidity. That's why it's so important to keep conservatives far away from any science policy. They're simply too incompetent to be trusted.

 

[ThunderKiss1965]

Oh look, another brainwashed right wing kook cultist, spouting the crap pseudoscience he heard on Rush or read on Drudge.

Back in the real world, DDT is still legal for malaria control, and always has been.

Back in the real world, malaria was almost eliminated in the USA before DDT was invented.

Back in the real world, DDT was ravaging the environment. It's still ravaging the environment. Those organochlorine chemicals can still be measured in our blood, and they're a prime suspect as a cause of rising autism rates.

Back in the real world, DDT was abandoned by farmers because it had stopped working. It no longer killed the Boll Weevil and other pests.

Back in the real world, mass usage of DDT had become useless for malaria control, because the mosquitoes were becoming resistant to it.

By getting DDT banned for mass usage, mosquitoes stopped developing resistance to it. That means the DDT used on a small scale kept working for malaria control. By getting mass usage of DDT banned, the liberals saved millions of lives. Yep, another liberal success story, same old same old.

The lesson? Conservative cult pseudoscience is not harmless. It's genocidal in its level of stupidity. That's why it's so important to keep conservatives far away from any science policy. They're simply too incompetent to be trusted.

Well I guess I'm wrong then and the millions that die every year are from a pretend malaria. Sorry but in the real world the supposed risk of cancer caused the usual hysterical bleating from the left caused the restrictions.

 

[ThunderKiss1965]

Oh look, another brainwashed right wing kook cultist, spouting the crap pseudoscience he heard on Rush or read on Drudge.

Back in the real world, DDT is still legal for malaria control, and always has been.

Back in the real world, malaria was almost eliminated in the USA before DDT was invented.

Back in the real world, DDT was ravaging the environment. It's still ravaging the environment. Those organochlorine chemicals can still be measured in our blood, and they're a prime suspect as a cause of rising autism rates.

Back in the real world, DDT was abandoned by farmers because it had stopped working. It no longer killed the Boll Weevil and other pests.

Back in the real world, mass usage of DDT had become useless for malaria control, because the mosquitoes were becoming resistant to it.

By getting DDT banned for mass usage, mosquitoes stopped developing resistance to it. That means the DDT used on a small scale kept working for malaria control. By getting mass usage of DDT banned, the liberals saved millions of lives. Yep, another liberal success story, same old same old.

The lesson? Conservative cult pseudoscience is not harmless. It's genocidal in its level of stupidity. That's why it's so important to keep conservatives far away from any science policy. They're simply too incompetent to be trusted.

Well I guess I'm wrong then and the millions that die every year are from a pretend malaria. Sorry but in the real world the supposed risk of cancer caused the usual hysterical bleating from the left which caused the restrictions.

 

[anotherlife]

Can we weaponize this malaria?

 

[mamooth]

Well I guess I'm wrong then and the millions that die every year are from a pretend malaria.

Millions more would die if your stupid reality-defying crank polices were implemented.

Sorry but in the real world the supposed risk of cancer caused the usual hysterical bleating from the left caused the restrictions.

You literally don't care at all that your cult pseudoscience would kill millions. You'd implement it anyways, just to spite the dirty liberals. If those third-world people have to die, that's a price you're willing to have them pay, all for the glory of TheParty.

That is, you've shifted your position from "rank ignorance" to "deliberate evil". Hence, every decent person should now spit on the ground as you walk by.

 

[ThunderKiss1965]

Well I guess I'm wrong then and the millions that die every year are from a pretend malaria.

Millions more would die if your stupid reality-defying crank polices were implemented.

Sorry but in the real world the supposed risk of cancer caused the usual hysterical bleating from the left caused the restrictions.

You literally don't care at all that your cult pseudoscience would kill millions. You'd implement it anyways, just to spite the dirty liberals. If those third-world people have to die, that's a price you're willing to have them pay, all for the glory of TheParty.

That is, you've shifted your position from "rank ignorance" to "deliberate evil". Hence, every decent person should now spit on the ground as you walk by.

In 2013 over half a million people in Africa died from Malaria almost 80% of those were children under the age of 5. The use of DDT to kill the pest that carry the disease would save children lives. Do you hate African children ?

By the way any person who would be so disrespectful as to spit in my direction would be put on their asses.

 

[mamooth]

In 2013 over half a million people in Africa died from Malaria almost 80% of those were children under the age of 5. The use of DDT to kill the pest that carry the disease would save children lives. Do you hate African children ?

Pay attention, shit-for-brains.

DDT is legal and still being used for malaria control.

Damn, you're stupid.

Thanks to the environmentalists, DDT is still effective against mosquitoes. If cult retards like you had had their way, mosquitoes would be resistant to DDT, and DDT would be useless. Your cult stupidity would have killed millions.

By the way any person who would be so disrespectful as to spit in my direction would be put on their asses.

Internet tough guy alert! We've got a live one!

 

[waltky]

New type of drug timed-release capsule...

Researchers Develop Long-term Drug-release Capsule
November 16, 2016 - U.S. researchers have developed the first long-lasting capsule that, when taken orally, slowly releases medication into the body. The drug-delivery system was developed for the treatment of malaria, though it could contain medications for a number of diseases.

Once inside the stomach, the plastic capsule springs open into a star-shaped form that contains the drug, which is released in measured doses. The polymer material is designed to initially resist the stomach's hostile acidic environment, although the device dissolves after two weeks and is expelled harmlessly through the digestive tract. At that point, a patient would swallow another drug-containing capsule. A study describing the capsule and its development was published in the journal Science Translational Medicine. Researchers see potential applications for the system in psychiatric medicine, diabetes care, and treatment for cardiovascular disease. Slow-release formulas of different pharmaceutical agents would have to be developed for use in the capsule.

Researchers have tested the capsule containing ivermectin, an agent that's used to treat parasites. Scientists from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Massachusetts chose ivermectin in their experiments because of an observation made when the drug was used to treat river blindness in Africa, where malaria is endemic. "What was observed was that malaria would transiently drop,” said Giovanni Traverso, a research associate at Brigham and Women's Hospital. “And so what we proposed was, ‘What if we could increase the period of time during which individuals could have ivermectin in their system, really to help suppress the mosquito population in those regions?’”

This star-shaped structure with six arms can be folded inward and encased in a smooth capsule, which can be swallowed. Once in the stomach, the capsule opens and medicine is released in measured doses.​

Ivermectin kills the mosquitoes that carry the malaria parasite. Ninety percent of malaria cases occur in sub-Saharan Africa. In the case of malaria, one potential scenario is that the capsule be paired with another drug, such as artemisinin, to help drive down the number of malaria cases. According to the World Health Organization, about 50 percent of people in the West and 30 percent of people in developing countries take their medicine every day, as prescribed. A computer model predicts that the capsule could improve adherence to at least 70 percent.

Many times people forget to take their daily medicine, their symptoms are mild, or they want to forget that they have a chronic disease, said Andrew Bellinger, one of the researchers at MIT. "You can take advantage of the fact that patients don't have to be reminded every day that they need to take their medicine,” he said. “They can remember once a week to take their medicine, and then live normal lives the rest of the time." Experiments have been successfully conducted in pigs and dogs. Researchers are in the process of designing a human clinical trial expected to begin next year.

Researchers Develop Long-term Drug-release Capsule

 

[Old Rocks]

Well I guess I'm wrong then and the millions that die every year are from a pretend malaria.

Millions more would die if your stupid reality-defying crank polices were implemented.

Sorry but in the real world the supposed risk of cancer caused the usual hysterical bleating from the left caused the restrictions.

You literally don't care at all that your cult pseudoscience would kill millions. You'd implement it anyways, just to spite the dirty liberals. If those third-world people have to die, that's a price you're willing to have them pay, all for the glory of TheParty.

That is, you've shifted your position from "rank ignorance" to "deliberate evil". Hence, every decent person should now spit on the ground as you walk by.

In 2013 over half a million people in Africa died from Malaria almost 80% of those were children under the age of 5. The use of DDT to kill the pest that carry the disease would save children lives. Do you hate African children ?

By the way any person who would be so disrespectful as to spit in my direction would be put on their asses.

Well damn, another absolutely brain dead 'Conservative' fuck. And why would anyone spit in the direction of a mentally defective individual?

DDT damned near resulted in the extinction of peregrine falcons and other raptors in the lower 48. And it ceased to be effective against mosquitoes when used over any period of time as the insects developed an immunity to it. Now go to your little room with the soft walls.

 

[sealybobo]

If only we had a proven method of killing malaria carrying insects that kill millions every year, oh that's right we did but hysterical leftist got severe restrictions put on the manufacture of DDT.

The Leftist are responsible for more death and mayhem than any other ideology in history.

Relax Tom Delay

 

[waltky]

FDA Approves Drug to Stop Some Malaria Relapses...

FDA Approves Drug to Stop Some Malaria Relapses
July 21, 2018 - U.S. regulators Friday approved a simpler, one-dose treatment to prevent relapses of malaria.

Standard treatment now takes two weeks and studies show many patients don’t finish taking every dose. Malaria is caused by parasites that are spread to people through mosquito bites. Anti-malarial drugs can cure the initial infection, but parasites can get into the liver, hide in a dormant form and cause recurrences months or years later. A second drug is used to stop relapses. The new drug, GlaxoSmithKline’s Krintafel, only targets the kind of malaria that mainly occurs in South America and Southeast Asia. Most malaria cases and deaths are in Africa, and they involve another species.

The GlaxoSmithKline offices in London. On Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved GlaxoSmithKline’s Krintafel, a simpler, one-dose treatment, to prevent relapses of a type of malaria.​

In testing, one dose of Krintafel worked about the same as two weeks of the standard treatment, preventing relapses in about three-quarters of patients in six months, the company said. The Food and Drug Administration approved the drug for patients 16 and older, according to GlaxoSmithKline. The company said it’s the first new treatment in six decades for preventing relapses. GlaxoSmithKline plans to apply soon for approval in Brazil, then other countries where the malaria type is common. It says it will sell the pills at low cost in poor countries.

Millions infected worldwide

Worldwide, malaria infects more than 200 million people a year and kills about half a million, most of them children in Africa. It causes fever, headache, chills and other flulike symptoms. The malaria type Krintafel targets causes about 8.5 million infections annually. The British drugmaker, working with the World Health Organization, is also developing what could be the world’s first malaria vaccine, but early testing indicates it’s not very effective. Prevention now focuses on using insecticides and bed nets.

FDA Approves Drug to Stop Some Malaria Relapses

 

[Asclepias]

http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/02/malaria-parasite-found-hiding-out-north-american-deer

North America’s most popular game species, the white-tailed deer, harbors a secret: low levels of a malaria parasite that have only now been detected thanks to advanced DNA technology. Though this particular species of parasite poses little risk to humans, researchers say the find could reshape our understanding of malaria’s origins.

Good thing I have the sickle cell trait.